White House hopeful Barack Obama stood in front of a pulpit Sunday and told worshippers that his faith "plays every role" in his life.

"It's what keeps me grounded. It's what keeps my eyes set on the greatest of heights," Obama told members of the Redemption World Outreach Center, whose 4,200-seat sanctuary was mostly full.

Faith, he said, is "what propels me to do what I do and when I am down it's what lifts me up." The Democratic presidential candidate said God "is with us and he wants us to do the right thing," including breaking down the divisions between Democrats and Republicans and among religions.

When people work together, he said, there is "nothing that can stop us because that's God's intention." more

Will Obama Rock the “Youth Vote?”Good question. Will he? I wrote earlier this week a gotcha diary. Well, it was sort of. But the emphasis was on the youth vote.

We need to talk about them. Why? They are the enigma right now, of this campaign. Meaning? The unknown factor. Will they stand up and make a difference? Or will they stay home and say, forget it?

Fred D. Thompson, a Republican candidate for president, spoke to a few hundred people the other night in one of the ballrooms in the Marriott convention center here. The crowd, not unusually for Iowa, was decidedly older, for the most part north of 50. A few hours later, Senator Barack Obama, the Illinois Democrat, addressed an audience of over 1,000 just up the hallway. His crowd contained a striking number of people under 30.

That is something that is hard to miss at almost any event featuring Mr. Obama, be it in New Hampshire, Iowa or New York. He has clearly struck a chord among younger voters. And his campaign has made what seems to be the most sophisticated effort of any of the Democrats to reach out to them, taking steps like sending recruiting teams to Iowa high schools and trying to ensure that New Hampshire college students who might be out of state on primary day get absentee ballots. NY Times, AP, WSJ

Not only to the Obama Camp, but to all these camps. It has become crystal clear that Iowa must be won by all candidates.

For Clinton, to remain and prove that she is the “inevitable” candidate. The one candidate that cannot be stopped. Not only by her rivals, but more importantly the Republicans. For Edwards, a must win state. If he does not win here, it is over. For Obama, a momentum win. This can open the doors for all other states to follow Iowa’s lead and push Clinton aside.

So, now every campaign understands the matrix of an Iowa win. Clinton can lose in Iowa, but would rather do so to, Edwards. As she can combat him with money and organization that is lacking for him in New Hampshire. This means, she can still win it all with an Iowa loss. But if Obama wins, the game changes. As we see with the polling. Folks are undecided and waiting to see what happens. An Iowa win can catapult Obama to the top of the heap and will erode the “meme” in the African American community that he cannot win. He wins in Iowa the African American vote is his.

Getting chilly outside? Fall is here, so is the Obama Gear. In need of a new jacket, sweatshirt, headgear? Well, your wait is over. Click on any of the images above, and check it out.

The Real Obamas

Michelle Obama's role, as she describes it, is to introduce "the real Obamas, not the resumes." In a stump speech that she varies and delivers without notes, she tells of her upbringing in a working class family in Chicago. She goes on to say that, after Princeton University and Harvard Law School, she met this biracial guy from Hawaii with a funny name who overcame her skepticism by being authentic and principled -- and cute.

Mindful of doubts about Barack Obama's experience and toughness, she has added riffs that guide her listeners through his work as a community organizer, public interest lawyer, University of Chicago constitutional law professor and 11 years in elective office. Experience should not be equated with time spent in Washington, she says, arguing that old Washington hands led the nation into war because of their "inability to see the forest for the trees."

"We need someone who understands and respects the Constitution, particularly as we have seen it obliterated," Michelle Obama told more than 100 people at a Fort Dodge art museum Wednesday. Noting that skeptics ask whether he can take the GOP's best shot and still win, she reminded her audience of the political rough and tumble of his adopted town: "Look, we live in Chicago. Need I say more?" more

"There's nothing wrong with identifying the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, but it is a problem when you start using Iran as a justification for troop structures in Iraq and providing language that could potentially lead to military action in Iran," Obama told The Associated Press on Monday following a campaign event in Nashua. Obama missed the vote on the resolution because he was campaigning in New Hampshire.

"Sen. Clinton and others should have learned from 2002 that if you give President George Bush a blank check that he'll cash it. You've got to be very cautious and very sober regarding any kind of language or rationale that leads him to make more disastrous foreign policy decisions," Obama said. more

In his second visit to Floyd County, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama urged voters to get involved in politics and caucus in January.

“We’re going to make it fun,”?said Obama in an interview with the Charles City Press after speaking at the YMCA on Friday. “Not only are people going to be able to meet others that are interested in public policy and politics, they’re going to be able to make a decision about who the next leader of the free world is going to be.”

He added that for those who have never caucused but have chosen to support his campaign, training is available so they can become familiar with caucusing. more

The Harvard Law Review, generally considered the most prestigious in the country, elected the first black president in its 104-year history today. The job is considered the highest student position at Harvard Law School. The new president of the Review is Barack Obama, a 28-year-old graduate of Columbia University who spent four years heading a community development program for poor blacks on Chicago’s South Side before enrolling in law school. His late father, Barack Obama, was a finance minister in Kenya and his mother, Ann Dunham, is an American anthropologist now doing fieldwork in Indonesia. Mr. Obama was born in Hawaii. “The fact that I’ve been elected shows a lot of progress,” Mr. Obama said today in an interview. “It’s encouraging.”

icebergslim’s last word: michigan, and political movesWell, there was much to say about Obama these past few weeks. But what have stuck with me lately are the Obama political moves.

Why? Well, SEIU went down the toilet for Edwards, partly because the rumor is Obama was the stinker that stunk that endorsement up. Of course, this is rumor, but the fact is the viability question was brought up about the Edwards Campaign and SEIU took the bait. Resulting in no national endorsement.

Now the lines are being drawn of the differences of him and Clinton. When this campaign started Clinton constantly said, “We have no differences. The differences are minor.” Well, the differences are not minor but major. And Obama is craftily and decisively showing the differences. From the initial vote of Clinton’s for the Iraq War to the latest Kyl-Lieberman vote. A vote that left many Democrats wondering, “Why did she do that?”Anyway, now Obama has made another political move, along with Edwards, Richardson, Biden, by removing their names from the Michigan ballot. Why this? Because it is a power move and a pledge move, rolled into one.

Why did Michigan jump the shark? What was the reason? Also, rumor the Governor of Michigan is ready to endorse Clinton? Michigan is also in a financial crisis. Why would you change from a caucus to a state run primary which will cost millions of dollars?

Clinton can parse her decision any way she wants, but the obvious truth is that she made a calculated choice to break her word for political advantage.

Of course, all this is strictly political. It is called, “taking the wind out of one’s sails, if one does not win Iowa.” In other words, Clinton don’t win Iowa, she can say, “look I won Michigan, a larger, battleground state”. Making Iowa insignificant to voters. It is called, “voter psychology”.

So, the move by Obama, Edwards, Biden and Richardson, is to continue the pledge of not campaigning in rogue states, until the DNC can fix this. And makes Clinton looks like she is not abiding by the pledge. Again, “voter psychology”.

My take. I feel for the voters of Florida and Michigan. I do. No one wants to appear at a voting booth or caucus location and it does not mean anything. As fractured as this process is, it must be adhered too. It does. I know that many are divided on this, but you can’t change the rules in the middle of the game. Does this need to be fixed? YES. But all the states agreed to this process of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina being first. To change now, not only look suspect, but totally stinks if it means your vote does not count, in the end.

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fall is here, the campaign is busy; always remember to focus on obama and not the drama

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